Is it a Repetitive Test?

Is a Judgment Call Required?

Manual testing is recommended if you are verifying the quality of images in a web page or the clarity of an online video since automation lacks judgment in such testing.

Are You Testing Large Quantities of Data?

Without automation this kind of testing can be a resource hog. It's also more prone to human error.

Are You Testing Size Limits or Boundaries?

These tests are good candidates for automation because computers don’t care how few, how many, or what characters are typed. And computers also don't lose count. People have to manually count and visually check characters, which may lead to errors.

Does the Test Include Characters That Are Hard to Distinguish?

Automated testing can easily tell the differences between characters, such as an 'o' (lowercase letter) and a '0' (number). These may be difficult for a tester to distinguish.

How Are Pop-Up Error Messages Handled?

Mixed testing may be best, unless you're using test-driven development which is automated from the start. Use manual testing to determine the correct responses to the message. And then automate the error-handling as part of the test.

What Matters Is Good Testing

So, there is no universal answer to which type of testing is better. Sometimes automated testing is better. And other times, manual testing is better.

Good testing is about identifying what to test, the expected results, and how to make sure as many scenarios as possible are covered. At a minimum, good testing requires a well-thought-out strategy to ensure testing results are meaningful and help development progress.

When you understand what you are testing and the expected results, then the type of testing needed starts to become clear.